UA Engineering Student Receives NASA Aeronautics Scholarship

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Chase Leibenguth, a senior in aerospace engineering at The University of Alabama, recently received a NASA Aeronautics Scholarship.

The NASA Aeronautics Scholarship selected Leibenguth among 20 undergraduate students nationwide to receive scholarships covering the costs of tuition and other education related expenses at $15,000 per year and a $10,000 summer internship at a NASA Research Center. Leibenguth was the state’s only student selected.

The NASA Aeronautics Scholarship Program fosters new generations of highly skilled scientists and engineers in critically important areas of the aeronautics field. Work conducted at NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate is directed toward enhancing the state of aeronautics for the nation, transforming the national air transportation system, and developing the knowledge, tools, and technologies to support future air and space vehicles.

Leibenguth, from Denham Springs, La., works as an undergraduate research assistant to Dr. Amy Lang, assistant professor of aerospace engineering and mechanics, and Dr. Will Schreiber, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. His research is focused on using computational fluid dynamics to model and analyze fluid flow over butterfly scales.

Leibenguth is a member of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics, and he served as a Freshman Engineering Program mentor.

In 1837, The University of Alabama became one of the first five universities in the nation to offer engineering classes. Today, UA’s fully accredited College of Engineering has more than 2,700 students and more than 100 faculty. In the last eight years, students in the College have been named USA TodayAll-USA College Academic Team members, Goldwater scholars, Hollings scholars and Portz scholars.